The Oscars are supposed to be a barometer for greatness in the movie industry, but sometimes the Academy just misses the mark. Think about it: Three Six Mafia has an Oscar, but Leonardo DiCaprio does not. Snubs inevitably happen every year and some are more egregious than others. As we prepare for the next batch of nominations, let us reflect on some of the biggest snubs that still have us scratching our heads.
1. Leonardo DiCaptio in The Departed
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Leo has been nominated a lot, we know this, but he was at his best in this Martin Scorsese flick. It still pains us that this wasn’t his year.
2. Leonardo DiCaprio in Revolutionary Road
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We thought Leo/Kate Winslet reunion would equal Oscar magic. But alas, it was not to be.
3. Leonardo DiCaprio in Catch Me If You Can
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We still love this movie and think he was fantastic as con man Frank Abagnale Jr. Technically he played more than character, as Frank faked his way into becoming an airline pilot, a doctor and a lawyer.
4. Leonardo DiCaprio in The Aviator
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Last Leo one, we promise. But man did he do a good job playing Howard Hughes’ descent into madness.
5. Brokeback Mountain
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With the exception of Ang Lee winning for Best Director, Brokeback Mountain got completely shut out of the Oscars. Crash beat it for Best Picture in an upset, and Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal and Michelle Williams all inexplicably lost in their categories despite delivering amazing performances.
6. Alfred Hitchcock
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Can you believe the Master of Suspense never won an Oscar for directing? Despite all of his directing techniques that are now famous, poor Hitch never got Oscar recognition. Couldn’t they have at least given him the Best Cameos in All His Films award?
7. James Dean
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We expect that if James Dean had lived longer than his young 24 years, he would have taken home Oscar gold. But the impressive trifecta of films he made during his much-too-short career (A Rebel Without a Cause, East of Eden and Giant) are enough to make us sad he never won.
8. Saving Private Ryan
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This Steven Spielberg wartime epic starring Tom Hanks was beat out for Best Picture by Shakespeare in Love. Rumblings have indicated power producer Harvey Weinstein’s purse strings – rather than the film’s merit - are what actually got Shakespeare the gold.
9. Marilyn Monroe
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The iconic bombshell never got to make a breathy Oscar acceptance speech. She was probably most deserving for her part in Some Like It Hot, but it just wasn't in the cards.
10. Amy Adams
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Doesn’t it seem like she gets nominated every year? She’s like the female Leonardo DiCaprio at this point. She was great in The Fighter and she was our favorite part of American Hustle last year. Such a shame.
11. Robert Redford
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Redford, aka the Brad Pitt before Brad Pitt, has never won an Oscar for acting. He nabbed one in 1981 for directing Ordinary People and got a Lifetime Achievement award in 2002, but the founder of the Sundance Film Festival was never acknowledged for the talent that made him famous.
12. Paul Newman for The Hustler
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It took Paul Newman way too long to claim his Oscar glory. He was notoriously snubbed all throughout his prime years – most notably for The Hustler in 1962. The Academy finally gave him an honorary award in 1986 and then a Best Actor Oscar in 1987 for his role in the subpar sequel to The Hustler - The Color of Money.
13. Citizen Kane
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This film has been number one on so many AFI Greatest Movies of All Time lists that we kind of just assumed it had won the Oscar for Best Picture. Not so. The Orson Welles masterpiece was beat out by How Green Was My Valley, a movie about a Welsh mining village.
14. Michael Fassbender in Shame
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When you put aside the jokes about "best performance by a penis in a movie," you’ll realize that Fassbender actually turns in an Oscar-worthy performance in Shame (clothed or unclothed). We’ll give him time though – we think a statuette is in his future.
15. Ewan McGregor
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Ewan (or as we like to call him: every straight man’s mancrush) has turned in some brilliant work over the years – like his roles in Beginners and The Impossible. But sadly it seems it wasn’t enough to catch the Academy’s attention.
16. Johnny Depp
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Johnny Depp does not have an Oscar. We repeat: Johnny Depp does not have an Oscar. How can the guy who played iconic characters in Edward Scissorhands, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Finding Neverland be lacking a trophy, you ask? It’s a mystery for the ages.
17. Jessica Chastain
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Remember when Jessica Chastain had like a million movies come out in 2011? In luckier years, we think at least ONE of those would have gotten her a win. Maybe 2015 will be her year.
18. Keira Knightley in Pride &amp; Prejudice
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Reese Witherspoon beat her out that year for Walk the Line, but Keira would have had our vote for her pitch perfect portrayal of Jane Austen heroine Elizabeth Bennett.
19. Atonement
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Talk about a beautifully made film. It even won the Golden Globe for Best Drama that year, which is usually a sign that an Oscar imminent. Nope. No Country for Old Men took it instead. Guess nothing beats a Coen Brothers film with an ambiguous ending.
20. Short Term 12
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If you've seen this gem of an indie movie starring a riveting Brie Larson, you'll understand why this was a major snub. It was one of the best movies of 2013, but presumably because it was so small, it didn't get any awards love. Travesty.
21. Mary Elizabeth Winstead in Smashed
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Another small movie, but a huge Oscar-worthy performance by Winstead as a young wife coming to terms with sobriety. Or at least worthy of a nomination. Pay better attention, Academy!
Who do YOU think has been snubbed? Tell us on Twitter by following the links below!
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Weinstein Company via Everett Collection
Dame Maggie Smith is set to receive one of Britain's highest awards as part of Queen Elizabeth II's annual Birthday Honours list.
The Oscar winner is expected to be named as a Companion of Honour when this year's (14) list is unveiled on Saturday (14May14). Smith will join the ranks of previous recipients including Sir Ian McKellen and her close pal and Tea with Mussolini co-star Dame Judi Dench.
Smith was made a dame by the monarch in 1990 for services to the performing arts.

Weinstein Company via Everett Collection
It's important to acknowledge the fact that there at least 94 reasons to be in love with Seth Rogen. Picking just seven moments in his career to highlight is morally wrong on some level, so you'll have to forgive us and use this list as a jumping-off point for future YouTube perusals. Rogen's new movie Neighbors hits theaters this weekend and he and his co-star just made a great appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Rogen in drag doing the "Ew" skit was amazing, and here are seven other times we could not resist his charms.
1. The Esteemed Screenwriter of Star Whores
In the end, the Zack and Miri characters never got to make Star Whores. But hearing Rogen (as Zack) waxing poetic on the epic porn parody script to end all porn parody scripts was unforgettable. Plus, he and Elizabeth Banks (Miri) were just adorable. There's nothing cuter than falling in love with your porn co-star.
2. Dawson's Creek Heartthrob
Lest we forget the time he played Stoner Bob on Dawson's Creek! Rogen was sort of the older, hot guy here — note that he's described as "an outstanding lay." This isn't exactly the Rogen we've come to love, but it works!
3. He Gets That Marriage Can Be Awesome
In this interview, Rogen talks about putting an end to the "naggy wife" trope that has been perpetuated everywhere, even in his own films. He told Studio 360's Kurt Andersen that with a little help from his own wife, the script for Neighbors got some much-needed revisions. We also get to hear 13-year-old Rogen doing stand-up, which is amazing.
4. The Bieber Conundrum
Rogen keeps it real, a rarity among celebrities. And when he spoke out against Justin Bieber — planting an epic dog joke in this interview — it just made us love him more.
5. Greatest Music Video Parody Ever
There are no words for this moment in pop culture history. When Rogen and James Franco teamed up for this Bound 3 parody video of Kanye West's Bound 2, it was incredible. And we clearly need more Kim Kardashian impersonations from him as well.
6. These Are His Confessions
In which Rogen admits to wetting the bed, disliking ugly babies, and interesting choices for make-out partners.
7. The Dice Roll
There are so many great moments from Knocked Up, but when Rogen reminded us that sometimes the dice roll dance works (because, hey, he does get the girl in the end), we all learned a valuable lesson. You can find true love at the club. You just have to use the dance moves you have — however ridiculous they may be.
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Weinstein Company via Everett Collection
Ugh... Mondays, am I right? Every week kicks off with that trademark despair so expertly articulated in Mike Judge's Office Space: you've got a case of the Mondays. Luckily, Netflix has you covered, with plenty of pick-me-up comedies to make the worst day of the week a bit more jolly. To start off our Netflix Hand-Picked Flix recommendations, we suggest Our Idiot Brother.
Is it possible to be too nice? That's the question posed by Our Idiot Brother. Paul Rudd, the nation's greatest resource of pure charisma, puts his all into Ned, an impossibly idealistic man in a world that isn't ready to take in so much goodness. Ned loves everything unconditionally. He's a soft, easygoing spirit, but lacks the tenacity to make it in the modern day, and spends the twilight of his thirties surfing between his sisters' couches. Everyone learns soon enough that even affability has its breaking point, and Ned, who is cluelessly honest in all situations, throws his family into turmoil when he lets loose damaging secrets.
The film is an adorable indie comedy, and features the likes of Zooey Deschanel, Elizabeth Banks, Emily Mortimer, Rashida Jones, and Steve Coogan, all putting in good work, but the true highlight of the film is the completely likable Rudd. The character and his worldview are affecting, and ultimately a bit inspiring. Even when Ned's lack of duplicity causes the film to take one or two unfortunate detours, his charm is pure magnetism.
You can stream Our Idiot Brother on Netflix, and make sure to check back tomorrow for our recommendations for the perfect Bluesday Tuesday movie.
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Dame Judi Dench is set to skip the Oscars due to her filming schedule, according to reports. The British veteran is nominated for the Best Actress award alongside Amy Adams, Cate Blanchett, Sandra Bullock and Meryl Streep for her turn as an Irish mother searching for her adopted son in Philomena.
Unlike her competitors, Dench has been missing from the awards season campaign trail after undergoing a knee replacement operation, and now she is reportedly set to miss out on Hollywood's biggest night.
The actress is currently in India filming the sequel to The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and sources suggest the long-haul trip to Los Angeles for the prizegiving would be too much for the 79 year old.
Her daughter, Flinty Williams, also admits she is unsure about her mother's plans, telling Britain's Daily Telegraph, "Honestly, I don't know. She has been hard at work in India making the sequel to The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and I am not sure if she is going to fly from there to the States. It has been a few days since we have spoken."
Movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, whose studio produced Philomena, recently admitted Dench's health woes have put her at risk of missing out on awards, saying, "Honestly, it's been tough for her, health-wise, and she hasn't done the kind of campaigning the others have.
"Cate Blanchett has had the luxury of being in a lot of places... Amy Adams has been very visible at awards shows and everything else."
Dench has been nominated for the Best Actress Academy Award four times before, for Mrs. Brown, Iris, Mrs Henderson Presents and Notes on a Scandal, while she won the Best Supporting Actress prize for her appearance as Queen Elizabeth I in 1998's Shakespeare in Love.

The Oscar nominations came out on Thursday morning, and as of now, it's anybody's race. Some say 12 Years a Slave has it in the bag, while others think American Hustle will snatch the Best Picture trophy. There's no one way to know for sure — does the Academy weigh emotional impact? Flashy performances? The film's lasting message?
How about titles? Yes, you can tell a lot about a film by its title, and about its Oscar chances, too. We've compiled some handy data about each Best Picture nominee's title and what it says about the film's chances come time to hand out the awards. (You can also head over to BBC America to check out this fantastic infographic that predicts the Best Picture winner!)
AMERICAN HUSTLE
Columbia Pictures
Movies with the word "America" in their titles......to win a Best Picture Oscar: 2 (An American in Paris; American Beauty) ...to get nominated for BP, but not win: 2 (America, America; American Graffiti)
Movies whose titles refers to a crime or act of duplicity......to win a Best Picture Oscar: 2 (Mutiny on the Bounty; The Sting)...to get nominated for BP, but not win: 11 (The Racket; She Done Him Wrong; Imitation of Life; Libeled Lady; Grand Illusion; The Caine Mutiny; The Hustler; Mutiny on the Bounty; The Killing Fields; The Fugitive; Traffic)
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS
Columbia Pictures via Everett Collection
Movies with a main character's surname in their titles......to win a Best Picture Oscar: 10 (The Great Ziegfeld; Ben-Hur; Tom Jones; Patton; Annie Hall; Kramer vs. Kramer; Gandhi; Schindler’s List; Forrest Gump; Shakespeare in Love)...to get nominated for BP, but not win: 45 (Disraeli; Trader Horn; Arrowsmith; The House of Rothschild; Alice Adams; Captain Blood; David Copperfield; Ruggles of Red Gap; Anthony Adverse; Dodsworth; Mr. Deeds Goes to Town; The Story of Louis Pasteur; The Life of Emile Zola; The Adventures of Robin Hood; Goodbye, Mr. Chips; Mr. Smith Goes to Washington; Kitty Foyle; Citizen Kane; Here Comes Mr. Jordan; Sergeant York; Mrs. Miniver; The Magnificent Ambersons; Madame Curie; Wilson; Mildred Pierce; Johnny Belinda; Julius Caesar; Mister Roberts; The Diary of Anne Frank; Elmer Gantry; Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb; Mary Poppins; Doctor Zhivago; Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?; Doctor Dolittle; Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid; Barry Lyndon; Prizzi’s Honor; Jerry Maguire; Good Will Hunting; Saving Private Ryan; Erin Brokovich; Capote; Michael Clayton; Lincoln)
Movies whose titles include a military rank......to win a Best Picture Oscar: o...to get nominated for BP, but not win: 6 (The Smiling Lieutenant; Captain Blood; Captains Courageous; Sergeant York; Saving Private Ryan; Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World)
DALLAS BUYERS CLUB
Focus Features via Everett Collection
Movies with a city name in their titles......to win a Best Picture Oscar: 4 (Cimarron; Casablanca; An American in Paris; Chicago)...to get nominated for BP, but not win: 18 (Hollywood Revue; Shanghai Express; San Francisco; In Old Chicago; The Philadelphia Story; Mr. Smith Goes to Washington; Casablanca; Roman Holiday; Peyton Place; Judgment and Nuremberg; Chinatown; Nashville; Fargo; L.A. Confidential; Gangs of New York; Munich; Letters from Iwo Jima; Midnight in Paris)
Movies whose titles seem like they should probably have a possessive apostrophe, but don't......to win a Best Picture Oscar: 0...to get nominated for BP, but not win: 4 (Boys Town; Kings Row; Dead Poets Society; Howards End)
GRAVITY
Warner Bros via Everett Collection
Movies whose titles are a single intangible noun......to win a Best Picture Oscar: 1 (Crash)...to get nominated for BP, but not win: 8 (Alibi; Suspicion; Crossfire; Deliverance; Traffic; Atonement; Inception; Moneyball)
Movies whose titles end in "ity"......to win a Best Picture Oscar: 1 (From Here to Eternity)...to get nominated for BP, but not win: 3 (Double Indemnity; Atlantic City; Sense and Sensibility)
HER
Warner Bros via Everett Collection
Movies whose titles are made up three letters or fewer......to win a Best Picture Oscar: 0...to get nominated for BP, but not win: 4 (Z; JFK; Ray; Up)
Movies that have the word "her" in their titles......to win a Best Picture Oscar: 1 (Ben-Hur)...to get nominated for BP, but not win: 1 (Hannah and Her Sisters)
NEBRASKA
Paramount via Everett Collection
Movies with U.S. state names in their titles......to win a Best Picture Oscar: 0...to get nominated for BP, but not win: 2 (In Old Arizona; Mississippi Burning) *Note: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and Gangs of New York both refer to cities, not states, and the "Virginia" in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf is a human woman.
We loved Nebraska, but this is really the only one we could think of for it. Sorry, Alexander Payne. Sorry, everybody.
PHILOMENA
Weinstein Company via Everett Collection
Movies whose titles are just a main character's first name......to win a Best Picture Oscar: 5 (Rebecca; Hamlet; Marty; Gigi; Oliver!)...to get nominated for BP, but not win: 20 (Skippy; Cleopatra; Ivanhoe; Shane; Fanny; Cleopatra; Alfie; Lenny; Rocky; Julia; Norma Rae; Tess; Bugsy; Babe; Elizabeth; Seabiscuit; Ray; Juno; Precious; Hugo)
Movies whose titles were mispronounced by Leonardo DiCaprio on live television......to win a Best Picture Oscar: 0...to get nominated for BP, but not win: 0 (There can be only one Philomania.)
12 YEARS A SLAVE
Fox Searchlight
Movies with numbers in their titles......to win a Best Picture Oscar: 6 (It Happened One Night; Around the World in 80 Days; The Godfather Part II; One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest; Million Dollar Baby; Slumdog Millionaire)...to get nominated for BP, but not win: 36 (Seventh Heaven; Five Star Final; One Hour with You; 42nd Street; The Private Life of Henry VIII; One Night of Love; Broadway Melody of 1936; A Tale of Two Cities; Three Smart Girls; One Hundred Men and a Girl; Four Daughters; One Foot in Heaven; 49th Parallel; Henry V; Miracle on 34th Street; A Letter to Three Wives; Twelve O’Clock High; Seven Brides for Seven Brothers; Three Coins in the Fountain; The Ten Commandments; 12 Angry Men; The Defiant Ones; A Thousand Clowns; Anne of the Thousand Days; Five Easy Pieces; Born on the Fourth of July; The Godfather Part III; Four Weddings and a Funeral; Apollo 13; The Sixth Sense; The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers; District 9; 127 Hours; Toy Story 3; Zero Dark Thirty)
Movies that refer to a unit of time in their titles......to win a Best Picture Oscar: 2 (The Best Years of Our Lives; Around the World in 80 Days) ...to get nominated for BP, but not win: 9 (One Hour with You; Lady for a Day; The Yearling; The Longest Day; Anne of the Thousand Days; Dog Day Afternoon; Remains of the Day; The Hours; 127 Hours)
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET
Paramount via Everett Collection
Movies whose titles include mention of an animal......to win a Best Picture Oscar: 3 (The Deer Hunter; Dances with Wolves; The Silence of the Lambs)...to get nominated for BP, but not win: 17 (Of Mice and Men; The Little Foxes; The Maltese Falcon; The Ox-Bow Incident; The Snake Pit; Cat on a Hot Tin Roof; To Kill a Mockingbird; The Lion in Winter; One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest; Dog Day Afternoon; The Elephant Man; Raging Bull; Kiss of the Spider Woman; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; Black Swan; War Horse)
Movies whose titles include the name of a street......to win a Best Picture Oscar: 1 (The Broadway Melody) ...to get nominated for BP, but not win: 5 (42nd Street; The Barretts of Wimpole Street; Broadway Melody of 1936; Miracle on 34th Street; Sunset Boulevard)
Cast your bets, folks. Captain Phillips looks like it has this one locked down.
*Special thanks to Hollywood.com writers Julia Emmanuele and Jordan Smith for helping to compile data and entertaining the madness of this post, and to our CTO Greg Zimerman for recovering hours of work after my Word Doc crashed. You're a hero, Greg.
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Lions Gate via Everett Collection
When we last left our heroes, they had conquered all opponents in the 74th Annual Hunger Games, returned home to their newly refurbished living quarters in District 12, and fallen haplessly to the cannibalism of PTSD. And now we're back! Hitching our wagons once again to laconic Katniss Everdeen and her sweet-natured, just-for-the-camera boyfriend Peeta Mellark as they gear up for a second go at the Capitol's killing fields.
But hold your horses — there's a good hour and a half before we step back into the arena. However, the time spent with Katniss and Peeta before the announcement that they'll be competing again for the ceremonial Quarter Quell does not drag. In fact, it's got some of the film franchise's most interesting commentary about celebrity, reality television, and the media so far, well outweighing the merit of The Hunger Games' satire on the subject matter by having Katniss struggle with her responsibilities as Panem's idol. Does she abide by the command of status quo, delighting in the public's applause for her and keeping them complacently saturated with her smiles and curtsies? Or does Katniss hold three fingers high in opposition to the machine into which she has been thrown? It's a quarrel that the real Jennifer Lawrence would handle with a castigation of the media and a joke about sandwiches, or something... but her stakes are, admittedly, much lower. Harvey Weinstein isn't threatening to kill her secret boyfriend.
Through this chapter, Katniss also grapples with a more personal warfare: her devotion to Gale (despite her inability to commit to the idea of love) and her family, her complicated, moralistic affection for Peeta, her remorse over losing Rue, and her agonizing desire to flee the eye of the public and the Capitol. Oftentimes, Katniss' depression and guilty conscience transcends the bounds of sappy. Her soap opera scenes with a soot-covered Gale really push the limits, saved if only by the undeniable grace and charisma of star Lawrence at every step along the way of this film. So it's sappy, but never too sappy.
In fact, Catching Fire is a masterpiece of pushing limits as far as they'll extend before the point of diminishing returns. Director Francis Lawrence maintains an ambiance that lends to emotional investment but never imposes too much realism as to drip into territories of grit. All of Catching Fire lives in a dreamlike state, a stark contrast to Hunger Games' guttural, grimacing quality that robbed it of the life force Suzanne Collins pumped into her first novel.
Once we get to the thunderdome, our engines are effectively revved for the "fun part." Katniss, Peeta, and their array of allies and enemies traverse a nightmare course that seems perfectly suited for a videogame spin-off. At this point, we've spent just enough time with the secondary characters to grow a bit fond of them — deliberately obnoxious Finnick, jarringly provocative Johanna, offbeat geeks Beedee and Wiress — but not quite enough to dissolve the mystery surrounding any of them or their true intentions (which become more and more enigmatic as the film progresses). We only need adhere to Katniss and Peeta once tossed in the pit of doom that is the 75th Hunger Games arena, but finding real characters in the other tributes makes for a far more fun round of extreme manhunt.
But Catching Fire doesn't vie for anything particularly grand. It entertains and engages, having fun with and anchoring weight to its characters and circumstances, but stays within the expected confines of what a Hunger Games movie can be. It's a good one, but without shooting for succinctly interesting or surprising work with Katniss and her relationships or taking a stab at anything but the obvious in terms of sending up the militant tyrannical autocracy, it never even closes in on the possibility of being a great one.
3.5/5
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So, everything pretty much worked out splendidly for an unbalanced Bradley Cooper and his musically-inclined, less-ignore-how-much-younger-she-is girlfriend Jennifer Lawrence. Following an arduous emotional journey, Silver linings Playbook wrapped up with a bubbly, charming, delusion-validating conclusion: as happy an ending as director David O. Russell is capable of mustering.
To some, it felt false. Where did this rom-com Hollywood ending spring from, after two straight hours of gritty realism? Apparently, it wasn't the first choice for the wrapping up of the Matthew Quick novel adaptation. Courtesy of MTV, we have been graced with an alternate ending to Silver Linings Playbook (one that will be available on the DVD). While still a satisfyingly happy ending, there's a more probing layer of cynicism, a very present imperfection, that makes it feel just a tad more lifelike. Check it out:
So which do you prefer? The sweet and smiling theatrical ending, or this new one that packs just a tad more bite?
The deliberation between the quality of a film's final cut and its alternate versions is an argument that has attached itself to many a Hollywood title. Sometimes, darker, harsher conclusions are tossed out to better please audiences, especially when it comes to crowd-pleasing comedies.
We find a classic example in Little Shop of Horrors, Frank Oz's musical comedy that opted, for theater-going viewers, to wrap the macabre story with bumbling hero Seymour (Rick Moranis) and his beloved Audrey (Ellen Greene) tying the knot and living happily together "someplace that's green" following their defeat of the nefarious carnivorous alien plant who terrorized Skid Row. The alternate version of the ending didn't have such a sweet tone to it, instead opting to kill both main characters and have the world overtaken by the plant and his brethren:
We find a more recent, albeit less severe, example in an unexpected place:
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story. Making the subtitle a great deal more ironic, the original, unreleased ending of the Ben Stiller/Vince Vaughn comedy actually did not grant the good-natured Average Joes their ultimate victory, but instead lent the triumph to the powerhouse Globo Gym and its nefarious owner White Goodman (Stiller). After White scores the winning peg, the credits hit the screen abruptly, leaving viewers with a sense of unease. The rejection of this ending works to explain Stiller's inclusion of the post-credits scene in the theatrical version, wherein he laments the "good guy victory" of his film.
Darker yet is the unreleased ending to Pineapple Express, which, to be fair, is a great deal more realistic than the clean getaway made by stoners Dale (Seth Rogen) and Saul (James Franco) in the theatrical version. In the clip, the potheads just can't wait until they are safe and sound and off the grounds of the site at which they were nearly murdered moments earlier, to steal a drag from a handy joint, leading to their annihilation by a hidden gunman. The final moment of the below video, though, is kind of sweet...
Another meaninglessly morbid turn (as declared so by director Kevin Smith, which is why he opted to shift to the happier theatrical ending) occurs in this alternate version of Clerks, which closes the film after Quick Stop cashier Dante (Brian O'Halloran) shot dead by a robber. Had we seen this hit the big screen, we would never have been graced with Clerks 2 ... or the upcoming Clerks 3, for that matter.
The alternate ending to Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World isn't exactly darker than the theatrical version — at least compared to any of the above scenes, anyway — but it does stray from the anticipated romantic union of hero and heroine that director Edgar Wright eventually opted for. Here, we see Scott (Michael Cera) bid farewell to Ramona (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) as he gets back together with the wide-eyed high schooler Knives (Ellen Wong) and she skates off on her own journey of solitude. It's a bit more somber, sure, but we're up in the air on which we prefer...
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More:Jennifer Lawrence to Reunite with 'Silver Linings Playbook' Costars in New FilmIs Bradley Cooper Starring in a David O. Russell Version of 'Freaky Friday'?Why David O. Russell's New Movie Is Called 'American Hustle'
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Paramount Pictures (in a co-production with MGM) brings to the big screen (in 3,372 theaters) an amped up version of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters in both 3-D and IMAX this weekend. The films stars The Hurt Locker’s Jeremy Renner as Hansel and Gemma Arterton (The Prince of Persia) as Gretel in this R-rated and decidedly updated take on the classic tale. At a mere 88 minutes the film blends action, horror &amp; fantasy into a very unusual hybrid of a movie that could obliterate the competition this weekend with a gross in the mid-$20 millions or possibly higher.
RELATED: 10 Pop Culture-Inspired Gingerbread Houses
Sony’s Zero Dark Thirty will enter its third weekend of wide release (in 2,929 theaters) with tons of momentum and a Time Magazine cover story on the movie and director Kathryn Bigelow. Having played second fiddle to the newly opened (and hugely successful) horror film Mama in the mid-week derby, could the R-rated real life story of the manhunt of Osama Bin Laden could give Mama a kick in the butt this weekend? With both expected to deliver grosses in the $10 million range, we shall see.
Relativity Media brings Movie 43 to theaters this weekend with an enormous ensemble cast that includes among many others, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Emma Stone, Chloë Grace Moretz, Gerard Butler, Elizabeth Banks, Kristen Bell and Naomi Watts. The movie uses the novel approach of having 12 different storylines, each one helmed by a different director and is reminiscent of The Kentucky Fried Movie released in 1977 and directed by John Landis. The film is a bit of a wild card given its unusual construction, but this could play well with younger audiences this weekend and a gross in the $8 to $12 million range could be the result.
RELATED: Arnold Schwarzenegger's 'Last Stand' Bombs: Why Didn't Audiences See His Comeback?
Jason Statham is perhaps the hardest working man in show business with some 30 films to his credit and over $2 billion in worldwide box office revenues. He appeared in 5 films in 2011 and 5 in 2008 as well, building a reputation as a kick ass action star with a no-nonsense approach and a wry sense of humor. This weekend he appears in Film District’s Parker in the titular role as a professional thief who has a very strict code of ethics. The film co-stars Jennifer Lopez as his unlikely partner in crime, Michael Chiklis and Nick Nolte. Taylor Hackford (An Officer and a Gentleman, Ray) directs the R-rated thriller based on the series of bestselling novels by Donald E. Westlake. Statham’s last non-ensemble movie Safe opened with $7.9 million back in April of 2012 and The Mechanic which opened in a similar late-January timeframe in 2011 debuted with $11.4 million. Parker should wind up somewhere between those two films with a possible $9 million this weekend.
RELATED: Jessica Chastain Delivers One-Two Punch at Box Office with 'Mama' and 'Zero Dark Thirty'
Last weekend The Weinstein Co.’s awards season darling Silver Linings Playbook added 1,713 theaters and jumped from 10th to third placed in the process. Maintaining its solid third place position mid-week, it will likely see a modest drop this weekend for a gross in the $8 million range and crossing the $60 million mark by Sunday night.
[IMAGE CREDIT: Universal Pictures; Film District; Paramount Pictures]
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The Sundance Film Festival is the premiere place for cinema buffs to soak in films rooted in every corner of the globe. Movies that dabble in every genre and utilize every stylistic trick in the book. The fest also provides a glimpse into the future: although most of the films that play at Sundance arrive without big name distributors attached to them, rarely do they walk away without a company primed and ready to release them to the general public. Meaning, if you're not at Sundance now, you'll be watching the movies one way or another before the year's end.
Sundance 2013 follows the buying trend, with a handful of movies being picked up by movie studios in the last 24 hours. Here is the first wave of festival purchases — indicating these movies are right around the corner for you to see.
Daniel Radcliffe washed away any memories of Harry Potter, thrilling us in the Beat poetry-infused Kill Your Darlings. Sony Pictures Classics obviously felt the same way, as they've purchased the film, which also stars Dane DeHaan, Ben Foster, Jack Huston, and Elizabeth Olsen, for an unknown release date (but put your money on the fall or winter — this one could have award season legs).
The Way, Way Back, feature directorial debut of Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, the Academy Award-winning writers of The Descendents, was buzzing up a storm after its premiere at Sundance, many comparing it to the uber-successful Little Miss Sunshine. Further strengthening the analogy, the film has been bought by LMS studio Fox Searchlight for the pretty penny of $10 million. The movie stars Steve Carell, Toni Colette, and Sam Rockwell.
We praised the hilarious Jennifer Coolidge for her work in Austenland earlier this week, and now the film has found a home at Sony Pictures Classics. SPC bought the film $4 million and will release the Keri Russell-led comedy this summer. Expect the name of Austenland's producer, Twilight author Stephenie Meyer, to be on all of the posters.
The Weinstein Company is always on the hunt for potential Academy Award contenders, and it may have found one in Fruitvale. The true story focuses on police brutality and sports a performance by young star Michael B. Jordan that is wowing audiences. In a press release, studio mastermind Harvey Weinstein said of Fruitvale, "I was completely amazed by this incredible film. This earth-shattering story is one that needs to be told, and we are honored to be able to share Oscar’s story with audiences everywhere." Oscar's story indeed.
Will audiences turn out to see Naomi Watts and Robin Wright sleep with each other's kids? Exclusive Releasing hopes so, as they've picked up the drama Two Mothers, which will roll out in limited release this summer.
CBS Films has picked up the throwback comedy Toy's House, which conjured up memories of movies like The Goonies and Stand By Me when it premiered earlier this week. The movie stars Nick Offerman, Megan Mullally, Alison Brie, and a number of kids ready to break out.
Lovelace, a biopic of Deep Throat headliner Linda Lovelace starring Amanda Seyfried, only premiered in the late hours of Tuesday night. But that didn't stop it from being quickly snatched up, with Weinstein Company's multi-platform offshoot company Radius picking it up. Like last year's Bachelorette, expect Lovelace to pop up on VOD before making its way to theaters.
In the genre market, eOne has bought the distribution rights for the frightening horror remake We Are What We Are. No word on when the midnight movie may make its way to theaters. What's the best month for cannibal movies?
Finally, we reported earlier this week that Relativity picked up Joseph Gordon-Levitt's porn-infused feature debut Don Jon's Addiction, with a promise to pour major bucks into its release. Another Sundance movie targeted for a strategic summer release.
[Photo Credit: R. O'Neil/INFphoto]
Follow Matt Patches on Twitter @misterpatches
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